diff --git a/docs/current-handoff.md b/docs/current-handoff.md
index ef564e7..4fe805a 100644
--- a/docs/current-handoff.md
+++ b/docs/current-handoff.md
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ If YES, the next live experiment is one timed/costed OpenAI UI investigation mea
 
 - The OpenAI provider now honors a caller-supplied structured-output schema, applying its existing strict-schema transport projection; absent an alternate schema, initial reconstruction retains its existing strict schema and transport normalization.
 - The next live run exposed incomplete recursive strict projection: OpenAI rejected `relationships.items` because it lacked `additionalProperties: false`. The projector now recognizes every `type: "object"` node, including property-less objects in array items, and recursively enforces strict object schemas while preserving initial-reconstruction optionality/nullability behavior.
-- This deterministically fixes the focused-deconstruction transport failures. Provider and focused-route suites pass with zero live calls.
+- The latest Terra request then exposed an inconsistent root `properties`/`required` contract. The projector now derives `required` after projection from the surviving property keys, and recursive tests verify `properties`, `required`, and `additionalProperties` consistency. Property-less object strictness and initial-reconstruction transport behavior remain preserved.
+- Provider and focused-route suites pass with zero live calls.
 - Next boundary: retry one fresh real Playwright-driven OpenAI/Terra investigation; do not reuse the failed focused-deconstruction attempt.
 
 ## Repository checkpoint
diff --git a/lib/llm/provider.js b/lib/llm/provider.js
index 9fa2182..2ac5dea 100644
--- a/lib/llm/provider.js
+++ b/lib/llm/provider.js
@@ -171,7 +171,6 @@ function projectOpenAIStrictSchema(schema, zodSchema, rootSchema, visited) {
       }
     }
     }
-    if (resolved.properties) resolved.required = Object.keys(resolved.properties);
     resolved.additionalProperties = false;
   }
 
@@ -182,6 +181,7 @@ function projectOpenAIStrictSchema(schema, zodSchema, rootSchema, visited) {
     for (const [key, property] of Object.entries(resolved.properties)) {
       projectOpenAIStrictSchema(property, shape?.[key], rootSchema, visited);
     }
+    resolved.required = Object.keys(resolved.properties);
   }
   for (const branch of [
     ...(resolved.anyOf ?? []),
diff --git a/tests/llm/provider.test.js b/tests/llm/provider.test.js
index adcf95c..9d85d2d 100644
--- a/tests/llm/provider.test.js
+++ b/tests/llm/provider.test.js
@@ -190,6 +190,30 @@ describe("OllamaLlmProvider chat capability detection", () => {
 });
 
 describe("OpenAI reconstruction provider experiment seam", () => {
+  function assertStrictObjectInvariant(schema, root = schema, visited = new Set()) {
+    if (!schema || typeof schema !== "object" || visited.has(schema)) return;
+    visited.add(schema);
+
+    if (schema.properties) {
+      expect(schema.additionalProperties).toBe(false);
+      expect(new Set(schema.required)).toEqual(new Set(Object.keys(schema.properties)));
+      Object.values(schema.properties).forEach((property) =>
+        assertStrictObjectInvariant(property, root, visited),
+      );
+    }
+    if (schema.items) assertStrictObjectInvariant(schema.items, root, visited);
+    for (const branch of [
+      ...(schema.anyOf ?? []),
+      ...(schema.oneOf ?? []),
+      ...(schema.allOf ?? []),
+    ]) {
+      assertStrictObjectInvariant(branch, root, visited);
+    }
+    for (const definition of Object.values(schema.$defs ?? schema.definitions ?? {})) {
+      assertStrictObjectInvariant(definition, root, visited);
+    }
+  }
+
   it("projects canonical optional fields as required but nullable", () => {
     const nativeSchema = z.toJSONSchema(reconstructionV2Schema);
     const projectedSchema = createOpenAIStrictSchema(
@@ -351,6 +375,10 @@ describe("OpenAI reconstruction provider experiment seam", () => {
       relationships: [],
       possibleFollowUpQuestions: [],
     });
+    expect(new Set(schema.required)).toEqual(new Set(Object.keys(schema.properties)));
+    expect(schema.properties).toHaveProperty("relationships");
+    expect(schema.required).toContain("relationships");
+    assertStrictObjectInvariant(schema);
   });
 
   it("recursively projects arbitrary nested object schemas as strict", () => {